Kael pulls out his second ball, but holds off from throwing, since Ward is now aware of the danger and zigzags with Crew down the laneway, the breakout slumped like a dead weight between them. Most of the camouflaged Speakers are in pursuit, their words having no effect thanks to Ward’s ability. A few remain near Kael and me, fighting off the three unknown Speakers from Lengard. But once they all realize that the breakout is on the move, they, too, begin to work their way toward the park exit, ducking in, around, and through the rides and alleys as they continue their skirmish.

My feet are still glued to the ground, the shock of everything happening around me keeping me from remembering my own ability until it’s nearly too late.

“Release me!” I order, and I stumble forward once the pressure disappears from around my ankles.

“Come on!” Kael says, rushing my way. “We have to go after them! If they get away—”

What he says next is drowned out by a massive BOOM that is quickly followed by a crackling sound as the electrical transformer closest to me erupts in sparks. All the lights in the park flicker and then splutter out completely, leaving us in darkness all over again.

Before I can ask what the hell just happened, something hard slams into my head … and I crumple to the ground, unconscious before I can utter a single word.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Hello? Miss? Miss?”

There are arms around me.

Two arms—one beneath my knees, the other supporting my back—holding me close as I rock to the movement of long-limbed footsteps.

“Can you hear me, miss?”

Someone is trying to rouse me from sleep, the words fading in and out until the rocking stops and the arms around me disappear, replaced by a cold, hard surface beneath me.

“Come on, now. That’s it. Squeeze my hand if you can.”

Calloused fingers press gently against my own and I realize it’s not sleep this person is trying to awaken me from. It’s something deeper than that.

My eyelids shoot open as awareness floods through me. Seeing an unknown man leaning over me, I sit up and recoil until I’m pressed against the metal backboard of the bench I’ve awakened on, my heart beating so loudly in my ears that it takes me a moment to realize that everything else around me is silent. Dark and silent.

“Where am I?” I gasp out. “What happened? Who are you?”

The man straightens and slowly raises his hands. The moonlight streaming through the steel framework above us reveals the shape of a gun holstered in his belt, causing me to suck in a swift breath. But my focus only remains there for a second before I look upward and take in what my initial glance revealed.

Steel framework. Support beams. Looping tracks.

It’s a roller coaster.

I’m still in Luna Park, even if there is no sign of anyone else around us. No Kael. No Ward or Crew. No Speakers from any of the factions who were warring tonight. There is only me and this man who picked me up and carried me—without my permission—to wherever we are now.